Turkey signed US-led Artemis Accords. Its moon rovers will hitch a ride with China

AI Summary

Turkey has signed the US-led Artemis Accords, while a team at Middle East Technical University in Ankara has developed AI-powered rover prototypes for China's Chang'e-8 mission. The arrangement highlights Turkey's participation in US-backed lunar principles alongside a likely Chinese ride to the lunar south pole.

Turkey has signed America’s rule book for the moon, but its first ride to the lunar south pole – the icy region both Washington and Beijing are racing to reach – will probably come from China. A team of more than 120 students and professors at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara has built prototypes of two AI-powered rovers for Chang’e-8, a Chinese mission originally planned for 2028. Turkey is not part of the International Lunar Research Station, a base China plans to build on the...